The present invention relates to a flow starting tube, i.e. a pipe or tube for initiating the flow of a molten material from a vessel through a bottom discharge opening thereof, the flow starting tube extending upwardly from a lower end to be fitted to the discharge opening to thereby block access of the molten material to the discharge opening, and wherein when the level of molten material in the vessel reaches a suitable level then at least an upper portion of the flow starting tube is separated or removed, whereafter the molten material then has access to the discharge opening and flows downwardly therethrough from the vessel.
The flow starting tube of the present invention is employable in any molten material environment, but particularly is employable for initiating the discharge flow of molten metal from a metallurgical vessel, and it further is particularly contemplated that the present invention be employed for initiating the discharge of molten steel from a tundish through a slide gate or sliding closure unit in a casting operation. In such use, for casting start-up to occur successfully, it is necessary that the flow starting tube release into the pouring channel the molten steel virtually under impact conditions, i.e. as a sudden burst or flow or a sudden substantially full flow. In the past, it has been conventional, when starting the discharge flow of molten steel, to manually break away the upper part of the flow starting tube, for example by means of a metal bar. Such an arrangement however has a number of disadvantages. Particularly, such procedure is dangerous. Furthermore, in a multistrand steel casting plant such a procedure must be carried out a number of times simultaneously. Furthermore, if the tundish or melting vessel is covered, manual breaking away of the flow starting tube is extremely difficult, if not impossible.